Gila River Recreation Area | Wild Camping

November 18th, 2022 by Bud's Mobile Taxidermy

Closed by BLM. Tried to stay 11/18/22 and there was a fence across the entrance. Sign says closed by BLM due to health and safety concerns. Bummer.

April 21st, 2022 by Cubby Van Life

Shores CG in BLM land. These are FREE public lands, 14 day camping limit. Take the road to the left if you do not have high clearance, the right has a deep washout, but both have great sites. Nice, shady designated, not dispersed, sites by the Gila River. Pretty spot except for areas around empty trash bins which were surrounded by large black garbage bags where people have dumped bags, instead of filling the bins and the animals have ripped them open and the contents have blown everywhere., Yes, the trash cans at two locations are clean and empty with new garbage bags. People are just lazy. We picked up a lot of stuff over 2 days and packed the bins but there is too much today. A lot of sites are trashed with what looks like last week’s Easter parties. If you walk, please take a bag and pick up something to help us out.

A few roaming, gypsy cows were wading in the water, a lot of green vegetation. Near road 77 but few cars pass by. Vault toilets are also very clean.

The following morning, the trash mounds were miraculously picked up. Thank you, BLM! Give them a raise! The day we left, the cg is impeccably clean! Beautiful! It went from being one of the trashiest cgs to being one of the cleanest!

March 17th, 2022 by kktorr2

Turn left after the pull in for several designated camping spots. There are spots to the right as well but the left side is not quite as rough/steep. We went to a spot towards to end of the road on a Tuesday and Wednesday night and no one came to the spots around us. It didn’t seem crowded at all. Signs say there’s a 14 night limit. There was some trash, but not nearly as much as we expected based on the other reviews. Designated fire pits, you can walk down to the river. It appears there is cattle on this land- we heard some and saw a bunch of cow patties but never actually saw any. No ATT or T Mobile service.

December 3rd, 2021 by ByChance

Stopped to use the toilet and decided to stay a night since it’s so nice here. Go to the left road and find your spot by the river!

February 24th, 2021 by heyjakers

Amazing spot. Nice to get some shade in the trees. Not a ton of camp spots, so I would’t gamble on it unless you’re passing through. There are locked trash cans, which I guess would suggest there’s bears? Idk. One set of potty pits.

February 4th, 2021 by Bud's Mobile Taxidermy

Great site for a night or two. To the right is a slightly steep road leading to several nice camps. The first turnoff toward the Gila river is a small parking lot with lots of garbage and a fishing access. It also appears to be a nice swimming hole in hot weather. At the end of the road is an arroyo and a cool grafittied tunnel under the highway. The turn-around is big enough for a small RV.
To the left is the old road route leading to several sweet campsites and a clean vault toilet structure. There are several garbage receptacles but still a lot of trash laying around. River access, rope swings and swimming holes at the end of the road. Overall, it's a nice quiet spot but looks like a possible party spot for local kids on the wrong night. But there's plenty of room to separate from that if needed. No verizon cell service in this part of the Gila canyon.

October 21st, 2020 by michael.s.acr

absolutely gorgeous spot on the river. deplorable humans are ruining it. I've filled 6 trashbags from the site I parked and the immediate surroundings. makes no sense. there are trash bins here. there is a pit toilet at the entrance.

once I cleared the trash I was able to sit in peace by the river and work on my book. trees keep it shady and the river is lazy, though I can hear downstream where it picks up. some road noise is present but it's not bad. not a very busy road.

without a doubt one of the prettiest places I have seen in the USA.

May 21st, 2020 by s.lesliemcr51

Great camping spot that is quiet at night. Had no problem getting a 2 wheel drive sedan down the short hill to the camp sites. There were added porta-jons down near the camp sites.

April 19th, 2018 by dreamtime.gallery

Just drive down the street you find several spots. Shady places and some have fire pits. You can also go to the river. Very quiet at night. The road is a bit steep but we did it with our van. I don’t know if it’s possible for big rigs. It’s FREE!